Artist: U2Album:How To Dismantle and Atomic BombGenre: RockAlbum Highlights: “Man and Woman”

U2 brings it back home with “How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb.”

The boys from U2 have returned to their roots with their latest release, singing about God, love and ideals. With styles ranging from full on rock, to soulful blues and power ballads, this album has got something for everyone.

After losing themselves in the ’90s, like so many good rock and roll acts did, U2 seems to be trying to repent in a way for letting their fans down by returning to the classic U2 sound (i.e. Bono’s smooth voice and The Edge’s slick licks on the guitar). What stands out most on this album is how simplistic it is. Now, some may call this a down fall, but I say it is a good thing in a day of over produced music and singers.

Because it is simplistic, the band still sounds powerful and thick-surrounding, if you will. Though at some points it does seem that U2 is trying to sound like, well, U2. This, however, is not necessarily a bad thing, and it’s only on one or two tracks. They are just trying to get back to where they once were, and they’re doing it quite well. This is the kind of album you could just lay back in a dark room and relax to, and let the songs flow over you.

This album is chock-full of good tunes. One such song is “A Man and a Woman.” Edge’s guitar playing truly shines in this song, and Bono’s voice is soothing as he sings about the distance between men and women, how love is more important than romance, and about a girl he can not approach or is afraid to.

This is truly an album highlight, as is “Sometimes You Can’t Make it on Your Own.” This song truly sounds like they strapped down the instruments and Bono’s voice. None of the dance house synthesizers or over production the band used through the mid-’90s. The song’s title speaks for itself-how we all need help from time to time. But by far my favorite track would be the bluesy “Love and Peace,” with killer guitar, powerful bass and vocals, and Bono questioning,

“Where is the love?” It is surely the strongest track on the album.

Overall, this is a very strong album, and I highly recommend it. This is U2 being U2 and doing a good job at it. It may not be “The Joshua Tree,” but not too many albums can live up to that standard, now can they? “How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb” is a fine piece of musical work, and if you’re a fan of U2, or music in general, you will more than likely like this album. If you’re not sure, then you can listen to the whole thing on U2’s Website for free.